Elevated railway



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B. ROBERTS.

I ELBVATBDRAILWAY. No. 518,925. Patented Apr, 24, 1894.

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B. ROBERTS.

ELEVATED RAILWAY- No. 518,925. t u Patented Apr. 24, 1894.

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, B. ROBERTS. v ELEVATED RAILWAY. No. 518,925.

Patented Apr. 24, 1894.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN ROBERTS, OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.-

ELEVATED RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 518,925, dated April 24, 189 4.

Application filed September 14, 1891- Renewed March 12, 1894- Serial No. 503.371- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN ROBERTS, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at J acksonville, State of Florida, have invented a new and useful Elevated Railway, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an overhead railthe objects in view are to provide an overhead railway-system adapted to afiord' communication between two points and to provide coaches or carsfor travel upon the elevated railroad, and adapt the same for selfpropulsion by the utilization of thewind.

Various other detailed objects of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof willbe particularly pointed out in the'claims.

Referring to the drawings:Figure 1 is a side-elevation of a car constructed in accordance with my invention, and mounted upon tended arms 2, projecting from the upper ends of a series of masts or posts 3. The arms are grooved as at4to receive the tracks, and the latter are coupled in suitable lengths by means of right and left-hand threaded couplings 5, whereby the tension of the tracks may be regulated.

6 designates a rectangular suspensionframe, the same consisting of opposite vertical side-bars 7, an upper transverse connecting-bar 8, an intermediate transverse connecting bar 9, and a bottom transverse conmeeting-bar 10. The transverse bar 10 has located thereon a platform 11, having suitable guards and located upon the platform is an express coach or car 12, a baggage coach or car 13 and between the two a passenger coach or car 14.

15 designates a triangular frame-work, pivoted as at 16 upon the roof of the passengercoach, and provided diametrically above the pivot with an opening 17. At opposite longitudinal sides bearing-openings 18 are located, and inthe same is journaled a centrallycranked shaft 19, the crank of which is vertically below the opening 17 of the framework 15. The framework 15 constitutes a .turn-table, and in the bearings 18 there is journaled said crank shaft, which at its rear end carries a vane or rudder 20 and at its opposite end a pneumatic wheel21, of any desired construction, and adapted to be thrown into the wind by the action of the wind upon the vane 20, said turn-table readily revolving to permit of such movement.

In central bearing-standards 22, located at each side of a longitudinal slot 23, formed in the upper cross-bar 8 of the framework, there is journaled as at 24 a transverse crank-shaft 25, the crank 26 of which is located between the bearings and within the slot 23. Between its ends and at one side of one of the bearing-standards, there is mounted on the crankthe lower portions of the Wheels 31, so that the framework as a whole may be suspended vertically from the overhead track by the wheels 31, which rest upon the track, and are adapted to travel thereover. Opposite pitmen 33 are loosely pivoted or connected at,

their ends as at 34, to the crank-pins 35 at the extremities of the crankarms 36, one of which depends from each end of each of the transverse-shafts 30, that crank-arm atone end of one shaft being disposed in an opposite direction to that at the other end of said shaft. Short connecting-rods 37 have their outer ends connected to the wrist-pins 35, and at their inner ends are connected to each other, and to wrist-pins 38, extending from the free ends of the crank-arms 28 of the shaft .25. A standard 39 rises from the transverse bar 9 of the suspended framework, and pivoted to the same is a rocking-beam 40. Below the rocking-beam 40 a lever 41 is pivoted to the standard, and the beam and lever are connected at their rear ends by means of a link 42, the ends of which are pivoted as at 43 to the ends of the beam and lever. The front end of the beam 40 is pivoted to the lower end of a drive-rod 44, as at 45, the upper end of the rod being loosely connected to the centrally-cranked portion of the cran kshaft 25. To the inner end of the lever 41 there is pivoted at 46 a bar 47, which near its rear end is slotted as at 48, and receives the end of a headed stud 49, extending from the face of the lever 41. The outer end of the bar 47 is by means of a link 50, to which it is pivoted as at 51 loosely connected to a shifting-rod 52, pivotally connected as at 53 to the lower end of the link. The rod 53 is pivoted at its rear or outer end as at 54 to one of the side-bars 7, and at its inner end is pivoted as at 55 to a shifting-lever 56, which latter below the pivot 55 and at its lower end is pivoted as at 57 to a suitable stand 58, mounted on the cross-bar 9, and adjustable in any of its positions by means of a notched sector 59.

From the opening 17 in the top of the turntable rises a hollow standard 60, the upper end of which extends through an opening formed in the crossbar 9, as shown. A lower drive-rod 61 is loosely connected at its lower end to the crank of the pneumatic Wheelshaft, extends upwardly through the hollow standard to a point above the same and is there loosely connected by a ball-and-socket joint 62 to the inner end of the bar 47.

At the inner side of each of the grooved supporting-wheels 31 there are located short transverse shafts 63, which traverse the slot 23 in the upper cross-bar 8. Upon each of the shafts there are mounted loosely brakerods 64 and 65, the same being reduced at their ends or shaped as at 66 to correspond with the grooves in the peripheries of the wheels 31.

To the upper end of the brake rod a rope .67 is connected and made fast, the other end of the rope being passed through an opening 68 formed in the upper free end of the rod 64 and connected to an intermediate point of a lever 69, which is pivoted as at 70 to one side of the upper cross-bar 8. To the lower end of the lever 69 a rope 71 is connected, which rope extends to one side and is there connect'e'd to the upper end of a lever 72, which is pivoted .as at 73 in an arm 74 extending inwardly from one of the vertical bars 7 of the main frame and having pivoted at its inner extremities as at 75 a brake-lever 76, which terminates at its upper end in a handle 78,

i and is pivoted as at 7 9 to the inner end of a link 80, whose outer end is pivoted to the lower end of the lever 73.

In operation, the engineer stands upon the cross-bar or platform 9, so as to be within easy reach of both the reversing and brake levers. The wind striking the vane or rudder serves to throw the pneumatic wheel into the wind, which revolves the Wheel and its crank-shaft and imparts motion to the vertically-reciprocating lower drive-rod, 61. This drive-rod being connected by a ball-andsocket joint to the inner end of the bar 47, vibrates the latter vertically, and with it the lever 41. The lever 41, through the medium of its link 42, vibrates the rocking-beam 40 and the latter through the medium of its drive-rod operates the crank-shaft 25, whose movement is augmented and continued by the fiy-wheel 27. As the shaft 25 is rotated, it through the medium of its crank-arms 28, connecting rods 37 and 33, revolves the shafts or axles 30, and their grooved wheels 31, thus propelling the framework over the elevatortrack. It will be seen that in this manner nothing but the natural element the wind will serve to propel cars over an overhead system of tracks in a safe and rapid manner. It will be seen that when the car is in motion by swinging the shifting-lever 56 to the frontand to an inclination of about seventy degrees it through the medium of the described connections, will increase the dimension between the parts 62 and 45. Such operation made by a sudden jerk of the hand will cause a reversal of motion, after which the lever 56 is returned to its former position. \Vhen the car is in motion, in order to arrest the same, it is simply necessary to manipulate the brake-lever, which operates the brake-ropes in a manner apparent, and applies the ends of the brake-rods to the peripheries of the supporting-wheels, and thus retards their motion and consequently accomplishes the desired stop.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a means for utilizing wind for the propulsion of overhead cars, and that said cars may consist of any number of compartments or coaches, from any of which to another access may be freely had; that the car is capable of being driven in either direction and that its movement may be promptly arrested at any point along the line.

Various details of construction of my invention will doubtless in actual practice be necessarily changed to overcome ditiiculties and secure advantages theoretically not apparent, and I therefore would have it understood thatI do not herein limit my invention to the exact details hereinbefore and hereinafter set forth, but hold that I may vary the same in any manner and to any extent in order to meet the contingencies that may arise in actual practice.

Having described my invention, what I claim is i 1. The combination with an overhead track audits support, of a frame having supporting-wheels mounted for movement on the track, a wind-wheel and its shaft supported in the frame, mechanism for communicating motion from the shaft to the supporting wheels, and a reversing mechanism connected with said mechanism, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with the overhead track, of the rectangular frame, the wheels mounted in the frame and supporting thesame upon the track, of a turn-table pivoted in the frame, a wind-wheel and its shaft journaled in the turn-table, and connections between the wind-wheel and shaft-and the supporting wheels, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with theoverhead track and its supports, of the rectangular frame, the grooved wheels mounted on the track and journaled upon axles in the frame, the cranked fiy-wheel shaft journaled in the frame and carrying the fly-wheel, awind-wheel shaft carrying a wind-wheel and journaled in the frame below the fly-wheel shaft, and mechanism for connecting and conveying motion from the wind-wheel shaft to the crank of the fly-wheel shaft, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with the overhead tracks, of a rectangular frame, the up per trans verse bar provided with a longitudinal slot, and at opposite sides of the same with bearing standards, a fiy-wheel shaft mounted in the bearings and terminating at its ends in cranks, a fly-wheel located upon the shaft, axles journaled in bearings in the slot at opposite sides of the fly-wheel shaft, wheels mounted on the axles and adapted to ride upon the track, said axles terminating at their ends in cranks, opposite pitmen pivotally connecting corresponding ends of the cranks of the two axles and connecting-rods connecting said ends of the cranks with the corresponding cranks of the fiy-wheel shaft, a wind wheel, a shaft forthe same, the latter mounted in the frame-work, and connections between the wind-wheel shaft and the fly-wheel shaft, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with the overhead track, and its support, of the rectangular framework, the upper transverse bar provided with a longitudinal slot, and at opposite sides of the same with bearing-standards, a flywheel shaft terminating at its ends in cranks mounted in the bearing, a fly wheel located upon the shaft, axles journaledin bearings in the slot at opposite sides of the fly-wheel shaft, wheels mounted on the axles and adapted to ride upon the track, said axles terminating at their ends in cranks, opposite pitmen pivotally connecting corresponding ends of the cranksof the two axles and connecting-rods connecting said ends of the cranks with the corresponding cranks of the fiy-wheel shaft, opposite brake-rods pivoted inthe slot and adapted at their inner ends to bear upon and fit the peripheries of the supporting-wheels, a brake-rope connecting the two rods and loosely passing through one of the same, and a lever pivoted at one end and intermediate its ends connected to the brake-rope, a bracket, a lever pivoted thereto, a hand-lever pivoted to the bracket, and a link connecting the lower end of the same with the lever of the bracket, and a rope leading from said latter lever to the lower end of the pivoted lever to which the rope-brake is connected, a wind-wheel shaft journaled in the framework, a wind-wheel on the same, and mechanism for conveying motion from the wind-wheel shaft to the flywheel shaft, substantially as specified.

6. The combination with the overhead track, and its supports, of a rectangular framework, the fly-wheel shaft journaled in the same having a central and end-cranks and carrying a fly-wheel, opposite trackwheels mounted for rotation in the framework, and adapted to ride over the track, means for conveying motion from the flywheel shaft cranks to cranks of the axles of the track-wheels, a" beam pivoted below the fly-whee], a rod connecting the free end of the beam with the crank of the fly-wheel shaft, a lever pivoted below the beam and connected in rear of its pivot with the rocking-beam, a wind-wheel shaft having a crank and carrying a wind-wheel journaled in the lower portion of the framework, a rod connecting the crankof the latter with the free,

end of the last mentioned lever, substantially as specified.

7. The combination with the overhead track, and its supports, of the rectangular frame, the track-Wheels therein mounted on the track, an intermediate crank-shaft, connections between the same and the axles of the wheels, a vibrating pivoted rocking-beam, a rod connecting the same with the intermediate crankshaft, a lever pivoted below the beam, loosely connected thereto in rear of their pivots by a link, a wind-wheel shaft carrying a wind-wheel, a rod extending upwardly from a crank in the shaft, a bar pivoted to the free end of the leverintermediate its.ends,'and transversely slotted in rear of its pivots, a pin passing through the lever and through the slot in the bar, loose connections between the rod of the wind-wheel shaft and the front end of the bar, a link pivscribed.

8. The combination with an overhead track, of the rectangular frame,,the track-wheels mounted therein and the swivelecl turn-table In testimony that I claim the foregoing as located below the track-wheels, the wind my own I have hereto affixed my signature in wheel shaftjournaledin the turn-table,a vane presence of two witnesses.

at one end and a wind-wheel at the opposite BENJAMIN ROBERTS. 5 end, and mechanism leading from the winditnesses:

Wheel shaft to the wheels, substantially as J. K. METTINGER,

specified. l W. BEARDALL. 

